Subscribe by Email

The Cupertino company explained that Wi-Fi assist could cause consumers to use up more cellular data. Now, it looks like Apple users are catching on and as a result, Apple is facing a $5 million lawsuit over increased data bills, according to CNET.

“Wi-Fi Assist has provoked complaints from customers since Apple introduced the feature in September with the latest version of its iOS software for iPhones and iPads,” according to the report.

“Many have complained that Wi-Fi Assist is automatically switched on in iOS 9 without them knowing it, causing them to run up large data bills while they think their iPhones are relying on Wi-Fi.”

Wi-Fi assist is an option that can be turned on or off but users are saying that the feature is being turned on automatically without prompting. As a result they have encountered hefty bills due to data overage charges.

“A couple who have been on the receiving end of such a bill on Friday lodged a class-action complaint, first spotted by AppleInsider, against the company in San Jose, California,” according to the report.

“William Scott Phillips and Suzanne Schmidt Phillips say that because they didn’t know about the feature, which is switched on by default, Apple should be responsible for picking up their bill, and the bill of any others like them, resulting in total damages of $5 million.”

Proving that they have been encountering the issue will be an even harder task. It’s also unclear whether there is proof to WiFi-Assist being automatically turned without users knowledge. Even further, CNET reports that the couple chose to file the lawsuit after reading reports that suggested that these extra charges could appear. Turning off WiFi-Assist is pretty easy and could save users who have smaller data plans.